650 bees will make the trail come alive… boom tish!

:)

For a small village (town?) there are a surprisingly large number of STWers lurking in the undergrowth ;)

Is this just an evening rote he’s looking for?

If he has a half day to spare then there is a relatively easy to navigate route – along the old railway to Tillicoultry, up Silver Glen, onto Ben Cluech and back down the Andrew Gannel hill path (or up onto Kings Seat and descend directly down to Dollar) – much nicer than Carron Valley and surprisingly dry just now…

Or all the sugestions above, which will invole some driving. If he is just looking to play in the woods then try Cambusbarron on the south side of Stirling.

EDIT – Euain – that looks interesting – Cheers :)

If anyone knows how he is at all it would be good to hear.

He disappeared off facebook a year or so ago, and apart from the very occasional ride, that was my only way of keeping contact with him…

EDIT – you could try and contact him through this Sproket man web page not sure if the email address is still active though as the Facebook page for his buisness is down.

Ninja edit there Kayak… we saw it ;)

I have jackets for my two (Kelpies). A thin waterproof which gets used when walking in the pouring rain to save having to dry them both off (especially on a morning winter walk as they live outside during the day in kennels and i wouldn’t want to put them into the kennels while wet).

And a thick insulated one which they get in the kennels if the weather is going to stay below freezing for the day.

I rarely use either when we are out on the hills, again unless it is subzero, as they are so active, but I do take them in the car (winter evenings) so that if the wet dogs are left in the boot while we go to the pub on the way home they are okay.

The waterproof ones are cheap and cheerful, but are wearing / washing well HERE

The insulated ones are more expensive with two velcro belly straps and leg loops as they need to stay in place all day HERE. I am particularly impressed with the way these are made and fit. They are better than the web page looks!

I also have the harnesses which (i think) surfer means above with a handle to help them over gates. There is also a rope attachment point for if the scrambles get a bit steep and you need to give them a hand up. I think they are ruffwear and they give a good coverage for wind / wet protection.

Whichever you use, just check for strap rubs when you are out on a walk. All dogs are different shapes and what works for one may not work for another.

Kelpies x 2

They have never shown any signs of having had enough / giving up, and in my mind this is a bad thing. I believe that they would run themselves into the ground rather than stop.

They have done 25km, but obviously over a day with plenty of breaks. I find that the more technical the terrain the better it is for them, I wouldn’t expect then to try and keep running at a steady ‘forest track’ pace for more than a couple of miles.

Pretty much all gone Stirling across to Dollar, sorry.

But give us a shout if you’re heading up this way sometime.

Jo

Thank you :)

The present MrFP is a complicated kinda guy. He can be gentle, kind and thoughtful, he can be grumpy obtuse and critical. He is always intense. In times of drama or crisis he can be a rock, in times of calm he can cause a storm.

He continually battles with anxiety, depression and OCD, yet he still has time for everyone. He plans adventures in the finest detail and then chooses to take me with him :)

It may not be the easiest relationship, but he is my friend, my partner in crime and the one I would always trust to look out for me.

@ amplebrew – I was / am thinking ready built. I guess if it does spark an interest them building his own would be the next step, but for this I am looking for quick and easy.

I am thinking that speed boats would be fun when you are with other people, while a yacht might keep him interested for longer. As he has also expressed an interest in learning to sail (full sized dinghies) I am leaning towards the sail boat at present.

Good call on deal extreme – I will have a look.

Good point.

I assume you mean a sail boat with a remote controlled rudder, so that you can turn it?

That sounds ideal – cheers

…that you can only come down on!

The wee ski hire shop on the right before the ski centre hires them (pine martin bar). Enjoy! It’s great fun :)

Krups frother here. I’ve had it for a year, used daily and it shows no sign of packing in yet…

It has three settings for ‘frothiness’ and takes three diffent volumes of milk to correspond. It makes a really good hot chocolate on the high volume / low froth setting, or will do latte (medium volume / froth) or cappucino (low volume / high froth) milk on the other two.

Milk really is piping hot when it is ready.

EDIT – Can be a pain if you are doing two cups in a row – I have a two cup stove top coffee maker so wanted to be able to heat two cups of milk – which is why I chose the Krups as it had the high volume option… not as frothy as when you just do one, but at least you don’t have to wait between them.

I like the Holyrood 9A. A bit chain pubish maybe, but a load of beers and guest ales, good burgers, wooden floor boards…

linky here[/url]

EDIT: the link doesn’t work for me, not sure what I’ve done wrong. Anyhow it’s http://www.theholyrood.co.uk

I have a sky box, but don’t pay a subscription.

You can view the standard freeview channels through it (I think that’s what they are) and the series reminder still works, but you don’t get the record or HD functions or any of the new wifi applications even if you connect the box up.

Works for me as I don’t get aerial reception, have super slow broadband and had the box already. I have no idea if it would be the best solution when starting from scratch.

If I recall they did kick up a bit when the subscription was cancelled saying that I couldn’t still use the box as it wasn’t covered for warranty once the subscription was cancelled. I decided I would just use it until it broke, then figure it out from there…

EDIT – just reading the posts above… Yes for a while i did pay the £10 to have the record functions and a few extra channels. Not sure if that would mean the newer wifi stuff would work…

To be fair they are pretty tough. They live outside year round in a kennel (with a bed of course ;) ) and only come into the house at night.

Camping isn’t an issue, the ground is soft and they just curl up and sleep. But on a hard wooden floor – no way :/

So far a piece of old foam roll mat with a vet bed top is my winner. Will give it a shot.

Okay, thanks folks.

AA – vet bed is a good shout, thanks!

I do carry a tent and will happily use it if any one objects to the dogs, but so far I have been lucky enough to have them all to myself (or with my BF). We plan pretty carefully to make sure we’re out if the grockle hotspots.

Thanks for the suggestions, my main concern is size / weight as I struggle to carry my own winter kit for 2/3 day trips without adding to much dog kit.

Thanks for the suggestions, it gives me some ideas :)

Cheers nick.

I thought that the thermarest seats were just straps which converted a full thermarest to a chair… But the idea is good to make a thicker bed out of the 3/4 thermarest – cheers.

the website is good – there is a similar one based in Edinburgh called RUFFIT[/url] but they don’t seem to do lightweight beds as such.

Thanks for the help :)

Thought so ;) Spoilt mutts!

@ Geoffj – I do have a tent with me (always) in case I have unwanted company, but so far I have been able to avoid having to use it. Bothys just make life a little more comfortable / midge free.

I’m a Muckboots Mug :) and very happy to be!

I spent 10 years buying cheap wellies two or three times a year, convinced that I wouldn’t spend more than £20 on wellies.

Then in a moment of madness I ordered a pair of Muckboots – they are amazing, warm, comfy, totally waterproof and heading into their third Scottish winter.

Nice :)

Thank you!

Hydrangea…

Have mercy on it and stick it in the ground :)

It will grow upto 3 to 4 ft, so at the back of a border, or against a fence is good. Cut the stems back in autumn or early spring, they are generally pretty bomb proof and it should do fine once it is set free.

EDIT – In reply to above – they will do okay on most soils, but the acidity will affect the flower colour.

Offer to pay the insurance company the value that you can sell the nice shiny replacement for…

Then you get the ‘built with love’ bike that you want.

The insurance get the money it is probably worth (the second hand resale value of a £1700 bike)

Some third party gets a nearly new bike at a good price…

:) everyone happy!

Is that the total cost?

I am selling a small house (central Scotland) and was quoted around 1%, but there is an additional upfront marketing fee (£500) and home report (£380?).

£2600 still seems high though.

Just a note of caution…

I have a 2012 Yeti 2.0 diesel 140bhp, owned from new, 88,000 miles on the clock (drive a bit for work). It is a great car, very versatile, lovely to drive, good on motorways etc.

But – it recently developed a fault with the EGR cooler – £1000 to replace at the dealer. Once that was replaced I started to have problems with the coolant levels. 2 months later and after visits to various garages no one can pin point the fault. The system has been pressure tested numerous times (garages and RAC) and it doesn’t appear to leak, but I have to top up coolant every 500 miles. Googling this fault brings up worrying posts about porous cylinder heads on some of these engines. Mine is out of warranty, and as it is a company vehicle it isn’t a disaster for me, but I wouldn’t buy another.

Yep, try googling Stirling bike club, although largely road based now, there is still a small mtb section. They meet at Costa Coffee in Stirling for a 9.30am start on Saturday, and Kings Park at 7pm on a Thursday night.

The rides are very ‘sociable’ at the pace of the slowest, but it is a good way to get to know the trails.

To be fair, my second dog came from the SSPCA. They were well aware that both dogs would be alone 8-5 on a few days a week. I was lucky that they saw the bigger picture.

It depends so much on the dog and your circumstances it’s hard to give the definitive answer that the OP is looking for.

OP – many of us do have dogs that are left alone, but we have different ways of doing it. My two have each other for company and a large outdoor run, others ensure the dog has the run of the garden, use dog walkers or have a calmer breed. These dogs are all fine. Everyone who posts here thinks that their way is ‘right’, I’m not sure that you will ever get a consensus on this one.

I have two young, energetic dogs, and they are left for that long 3 or 4 days a week.

I am lucky that I have space for a big run outside, and I walk them for an hour morning and evening.

They are fine and happy, but I am glad that there are two of them…

I believe your GF lives in the big smoke of Edinburgh…

Does she have somewhere reasonably safe to park it? I have two separate friends who have had their old camper vans stolen in Edinburgh the last 6 months :( The T25 was a write off by the time they got it back (both were parked on the street and not moved unless taken away at weekends).

Not sure why they seem so ‘nickable’ a guess a combination of poor / old locks, lots of cupboards potentially full of shiny stuff and if they are not used / moved daily plenty of time to be scoped out.

Bianco were pretty amazing overall – but not comedy

Rubber bandits good for comedy / music

Pull the other one.

This other one? http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/scared-of-flying-1

:wink:

kcal – yes – it is (was) an issue with one of mine :(

I have got her to the point where she comes straight to me when she sees a bike or car, but she is like a coiled spring wanting to go after it. The work / chase instinct has to be given an outlet while they are still young. Whisky was 9 months when I got her, and she was already a bike chaser. She has never bitten anyone, but the rider can’t be expected to know that. She hasn’t given chase for the last year or so, but I still can’t relax with her, I have to keep working on it.

I have two (one Kelpie, one Collie rescue), they are both about 3yrs old now. Having two helps alot, especially on walks as they race around together instead of just following me. Things I try to do to keep them entertained:

* Walks – 2 x 1hr per day (when he’s old enough) – Change the route if possible day to day
* Bike instead of walk (again once he is old enough)
* Teach them games – such as finding the hidden training dummy – to play in the house for wet days
* Feed some of their food in a Kong or similar
* If fed alone scatter some of the food in the garden
* Rotate chew toys
* Mine live outside during the day and have toys and obstacles to climb on / hide in
* Training – brain work tires them out hugely – it’s great :) Do some of the walk on a lead, practice heel work – it sounds odd, but training tires them more than just running.
* Agility (again when old enough – 18 months / 2 yrs)
* Let them see / investigate / take part in as much as possible, it uses their brain. Walks through the town / village on a lead are just as good as running off it.
* Teach him to chase something ‘safe’ as soon as possible (balls, sticks) One of mine didn’t get this and has fixed on bikes and cars which is hard to break.

In answer to your question about toys – puzzles are great, but my Kelpie has razor teeth and wrecked everything, so be imaginative. A treat in a cardboard box or old sock. Charity shop soft toy (without sharp eyes or bean fillings) work well if you are going through them at a rate of knots. Anything you can hide food or a treat in.

Collies (& Kelpies) are ace :D

Are they members of the NFRC?

Not a government scheme, but it is a trade body that at least has a code of practice. There is also a warranty provision / complaints procedure should you need them. My Dad was a roofer and this was always what he recommended that you looked for.

Have to agree with SBH (which makes a change ;) )

We all have ‘issues’, you just have to find someone whose issues fit into your life. I am presently seeing a compulsive organiser – I have never been on so many weekends away / bike bothy trips / hill walks… Life is hectic but its pretty darn good :D Take a break maybe, but don’t give up!

;) you’re lucky!

I can post it on Stirling Bike Club if you want… Or you could ask stirlingcrispin / surroundedbyhills to do it.

Blatant plug, but a couple of my friends wrote this a few years ago:

To be fair, not really what you are asking – but it is a useful book :)